Romney's initial goal: $50 million

Mitt Romney disclosed today that he raised $18.25 million in his initial fundraising report, but his goal for the first half of 2011 was $50 million, according to an email sent by a Romney consultant to a potential state finance aide at the end of last year.

Don Stirling, a Utah-based Romney finance consultant, sent a message in late-December to another western GOP strategist outlining compensation plans and fundraising targets.

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“National 6-month goal: $50 million,” he wrote in the message, obtained by POLITICO.

That’s the same figure that other Romney fundraisers bandied about for their first-quarter target as late as March. When both POLITICO and the Wall Street Journal got wind that his backers were discussing such an ambitious goal, expectations-minded Romney aides moved aggressively to claim that there was no such out-of-the-gates target.

But Stirling’s email indicates that Team Mitt was indeed hoping to raise more than twice what they actually brought in over the first half of the year. Romney’s PAC raised about $1.9 million in the first quarter of this year, meaning that he hauled in just over $20 million through June.

Romney’s campaign didn’t deny that they had failed to meet their original goal.

“We intend to raise $50 million and more for the primary campaign and we’re off to a very good start,” said spokeswoman Andrea Saul. “We welcome any new contributors at www.mittromney.com.”

Stirling didn’t return a call or an email seeking comment about his email.

His December pitch to a potential consultant, however, offers a window into Romney’s well-organized money operation. It also illustrates the inherent conflict between fundraising consultants who want to set lofty goals to motivate their finance team and press aides who cringe at putting their targets in black and white.

In addition to the national goal, the former Massachusetts governor’s nascent campaign organization also had a precise target for the home state of the recipient of the email: $1,520,000.

Stirling detailed the cut that state fundraising consultants would get and suggested that their efforts would prove lucrative.

“We believe that Governor Romney, should he decide to run, will be a leading candidate for the GOP nomination, and that our fundraising efforts during the Primary will lead the pack,” he wrote. “And should he run and be fortunate enough to be the nominee of the GOP, our General fundraising efforts will be very productive and beneficial for our Team Romney state finance consultants. “

Stirling did, though, reflect the 2012 Romney campaign mantra of being “leaner” and not blowing through cash the way they did four years ago.

“We are trying very hard to be both fair and competitive, while at the same time be prudent in our spending,” he wrote.